Ian Hunter is professor emeritus in the faculty of law at the University of Western Ontario
William Franklin (called "Billy Frank" as a youngster) Graham, a North Carolina farm boy who became "preacher to the world," arguably the foremost evangelist of the Christian faith since the Apostle Paul, died at his home on Wednesday at the age of 99.
A presence at many of the formative events of the 20th century – presidential inaugurations, international crises, and national tragedies – Mr. Graham preached in person to more than 200 million people in 185 countries. In 2006, when he appeared on the 2006 Gallup list of the ten most admired men in the world, it was for a record-setting fiftieth consecutive year. In 1981, Graham met his only contemporary in terms of worldwide recognition, Pope John Paul ll; the Pope enfolded Graham in an embrace and said: "We are brothers."
He was born on Nov. 7, 1918, in a wood frame house in Charlotte, N.C.; his parents, Frank and Morrow, were relatively prosperous dairy farmers. A gangly, exuberant young man, Graham was more interested in baseball and chasing girls than in religion. An indifferent student, his life changed in October, 1934, when a preacher with the inimitable name of Mordecai Ham came to North Carolina to conduct revival meetings. Sixteen-year-old Billy attended, along with his best friend Grady Wilson (who would become instrumental in Graham's ministry for the next seven decades); on November 6, 1934, Graham answered Ham's altar call. Graham later wrote: "I thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't feel all worked up. But right there, I made my decision for Christ. It was as simple as that, and as conclusive."
After high school, Graham (briefly) attended Bob Jones University in Tennessee. He chafed at the many restrictions imposed on student conduct and soon transferred to the Florida Bible Institute, an academically unimpressive setting with about 75 students. Shortly after arriving on the Florida campus, he proposed marriage to a girl named Emily Cavanagh; according to Mr. Graham's brother, Melvin, she turned him down because "she wanted to marry a man who was going to amount to something."
Throughout his student days, Mr. Graham accepted preaching invitations anywhere, any time, thus honing the oratorical skills that would make him such a compelling preacher. In his last year, he was ordained a Baptist minister.
In the fall of 1940, now 22, Mr. Graham enrolled at Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts school near Chicago. Here he met Ruth Bell, the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries in China, whom he later married. And despite her desire that they become foreign missionaries, Billy kept on preaching.
In 1949, Graham came to national prominence (in part because newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst sent a terse telegram to his papers telling them to "Puff Graham") with the Youth for Christ Greater Los Angeles revival. Originally scheduled to last three weeks, it was extended to eight weeks; there were several high-profile conversions (including singer/songwriter Stuart Hamblen, and a gangster/wiretapper named Jim Vaus), and the crowds kept coming. An estimated 350,000 people heard Billy Graham preach in Los Angeles; his message then, as it always would be, was simple: "Tonight I am trying to tell you that the Lord Jesus Christ can be received, your sins forgiven, your burdens lifted, your problems solved, by turning your life over to Jesus Christ."
Mr. Graham's personal kindness and humility led to him becoming the confidante, pastor, and even adviser, to every American president from Dwight Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. His intimate friendship with Richard Nixon sullied Mr. Graham's reputation somewhat when the Watergate tapes became public. At a dinner in Billy Graham's honour in 2006, former president George H. W. Bush said, "No matter how deep one's faith is, sometimes you need the guidance and comfort of a living, breathing human being. For me, and for so many occupants of the White House, that person was Billy Graham. When my soul was troubled, it was Billy I reached out to, for advice, for comfort, for prayer."
Billy Graham preached his last public sermon more than two decades ago. His health declined. Still, he kept writing, and in his last book (The Reason for My Hope, 2013), he demonstrated again his conviction and courage, writing what few others would be willing to say in these politically correct times. "Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, 'I am a teacher in search of the truth.' Jesus said, 'I am the truth.' Confucius said, 'I never claimed to be holy.' Jesus said, 'Who convicts me of sin?' Mohammed said, 'Unless God throws his cloak over me, I have no hope.' Jesus said, 'Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins.' "
Preaching the Gospel to all who would listen – that was Billy Graham's life. Christians believe that he is now experiencing his eternal reward, that when he passed over in the early hours of Wednesday morning, he heard words he had spent his life in service of: "Well done, my good and faithful servant."